


Who We Are

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 20:51:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5020078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Azura's life has always been, for the most part, predictable. A timid girl, seeking assurance as she steps out into the light. But her world is shaken as a face from her past returns, and no, it is not unpleasant. Quite the opposite, really.</p>
<p>Kamui moved away years ago, to seek medical treatment for his ill father. With his father finally being freed from the pain of living, he returns with his family, meeting a face from his past, a girl with golden eyes. Awkward, perhaps, but not intolerable.</p>
<p>Their friendship blooms, but love?</p>
<p>...Maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who We Are

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor any of its characters.

It only needed one word to describe the inside of the small café on Eastwood Street: hectic.

Azura felt small beads of perspiration beginning to form on her left brow. Wiping them away, she balanced an order of a vegetable omelet in one hand, and a platter of small, fancy sandwiches with frilly toothpicks in the other. She tried to remember the last time _Café Frost_ was this packed; never.

Earlier in the morning, all had seemed as it normally did. She entered the café, slipped into the demeaning, uncomfortable waitress uniform (which resembled that of a feathery maid's outfit) and began setting the various tables alongside Felicia, Jakob and Flora.

But at precisely 10:36 A.M., (she knew this because she had checked) the café was stifling with dozens of people, with many more outside the double doors. And here she was now, nearly choking on the scent of cologne on a persistent man who would not get out of her way because, "I've been waiting two hours, and I still haven't gotten anywhere to sit!" To say she was peeved would be an understatement. She was livid.

"Just who," she breathed to Felicia at the welcoming desk, "is making all these people flock here and make my life miserable?" Felicia sighed, tapping a black ball-point pen on the tarnished wood.

"Mm. I haven't a clue. But then again," she brightened, sweeping her gaze across the room. "maybe my _fantastic_ waitressing skills have made me famous around here! Aha! That's definitely it." Azura hid a grin behind her hand. "Well anyway, are we still up for biking on Tuesday?"

"As of now...yes," Azura agreed, glancing behind her back once she felt the base of her neck grow hot. "Oh, look, Flora's coming. Act like we're working!" Felicia nodded and started shuffling the papers on the desk, glancing out at her twin out of the corner of her eye. Azura pulled out her notebook and pen, writing random nothing's on an empty page. But unfortunately, they weren't quick enough to have slid under the radar.

"You two," Flora announced, her smooth-like-silk voice wafting towards them. "I'll need you to work, not chatter like canaries. Understand?" Both Felicia and Azura opened their mouths to protest, but Flora cut across them. "We cannot risk a bad review on the Internet, alright? Now get to work before someone writes one!" Azura flinched at her stern voice. Somehow Flora always made her feel like a troublesome toddler.

"Yes, Flory," Felicia huffed, glancing down at her wrists, ears dusted a light pink that matched her hair.

"Will do..." Azura chimed after Flora shot her an expectant glare that was almost as cold as the back storage container's ice supply.

"Good. Keep on task, and remember: good work will be rewarded. _Perhaps_ with a raise." And with that, Flora briskly strode away to take the orders of a rather robust woman and her frail-looking husband.

"Can you believe her? She's not even the manager and yet she still thinks she can boss us around... Unbelievable." Felicia mumbled, prompting Azura to squeeze her friend's small hand in sympathy. It seemed that once Flora was in 'work-mode' she was completely oblivious to Felicia's feelings, or anyone's, if they were to be splitting hairs.

Azura remembered when she first met Flora, at their high school a few years back. Flora was friendly and well-liked by everyone, but when she applied for a part-time job at the café, she was baffled as to what happened to the sweet Flora she had known. Jakob, who had worked as long as Flora had at the time explained that work seemed to put the blue-haired girl on edge, causing her to snap and scold, something Azura had been quick to learn soon after.

Felicia seemed to have taken Flora's instructions and criticism to heart, however, eyes downcast, her hands fumbling nervously with her pen before it slid out of her grasp and onto the floor. Felicia cursed as she bent over to retrieve it, hair falling into her face, much to her chagrin.

Not even a month ago, Flora was announced to be Clear's (the current manager and Flora and Felicia's father) successor as the manager of Café Frost. Azura vaguely remembered the joyful squeal Flora uncharacteristically made, and Felicia's muffled sniffles. Felicia had said it was nothing at all, and that she didn't really care anyway, but Azura knew it had hurt Felicia. She didn't want the job, but what she wanted was her father to have at least considered it more before choosing her twin. It was obvious he'd have chosen Flora anyway. She was a better waitress and knew how to make the café come out on top. All Felicia wanted was a little more appreciation from her father, and with him not even talking to Felicia beforehand, a little part of her died.

But then again, if Flora had never gotten chosen, Felicia would not be studying to be a nurse at the local university. Sure it was small, but as Felicia had happily reported one day, she was one of the best in the class. (Even though it was considered a very tiny one)

"Hang on, Felicia," Azura said proudly, raising her head. "one day, you'll rule the world."

"Y-You...think so?" Felicia glanced up at her hopefully, cyan eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"Mhm. And somewhere, deep down, you know that too." Felicia sniffed, wiping the back off her hand over her tearing eyes.

"J-Jeez, Azura. When'd you get all cheesy?"

"The day you forced me to read all of your risqué love novels."

"...Fair enough."

~*~*~*~

After a few more hours of running back-and-forth between the kitchen and tables, Azura finally found the café to be quieter, and more realistic for a café as small as _Café Frost._ Azura glanced at her watch, eyeing its face. 5:27 P.M. Three minutes before her shift would end, and she would be free to collapse into her twin-sized bed and perhaps call her next-door neighbor (as well as older sister) Camilla to have dinner with her. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden, she felt an urge to spend time with her.

Or maybe it was that sister telekinesis thing Camilla always joked about.

Azura slipped her hand into her bag, pulling out her phone, which as she had suspected, had five texts from Camilla. Sister telekinesis indeed.

**Azura dear. Your flowers are wilting. Please water them.** _(2:03 P.M)_

**Azura. Water your flowers.** _(3:46 P.M)_

**Oh wait. You're on a shift? So sorry, sweetie. :O** _(4:22 P.M)_

**Did I do that "emoji" thing right?** _(4:23 P.M)_

**Know what. I'll just water your flowers for you.** _(5:09 P.M)_

Azura bit back the urge to smile. Although Camilla was only three years older than her, she seemed to have been blessed with Xander's pathetically sad "parent texts" as Felicia had called them one day. Basically, they were like old folks when it came to texting—something Azura, Leo and Elise had made sure to tease them on often. Camilla was quite rattled and confused when it came to emoticons, and Xander often texted the wrong people. Azura reminisced on a time when he accidentally sent her a text that was meant for his wife, Charlotte. Azura had never laughed harder in her life.

Glancing back down at her phone, Azura typed a response back to Camilla:

**Yeah Cam. That's an Emoji. Thanks for watering my flowers! <3** _(5:31 P.M.)_

Nodding to herself, Azura leaped up from the booth she was sitting at, and glanced around the café, stretching her lithe arms above her head and yawning. Various janitors (and Flora) buzzed about, sweeping floors, wiping down tables, dusting the vintage chandelier above the doorway, and tossing away old pastries lining the countertops. Azura watched sadly as a red-velvet cupcake hid the trashcan with a thud.

Felicia lazily braided her rose hair, eyeing a rather attractive man who was attempting to buy the last raspberry tart before Flora tossed it away. The name _Silas Knight_ was printed across the back of his soccer jersey. Where had she heard that name before? And why did he look somewhat familiar with his mint-green hair and verdant eyes? Azura bit her lower lip in agitation. She hated it when her memory failed her; especially since it had such an aptitude at remembering song lyrics and show tunes. But his name? _Silas Knight, Silas Knight, Silas Knight._ Where had she heard it before? Where had she seen him before?

Suddenly, Azura slowly felt her memory stirring and with it, came a small clue: junior high.

Something about his name brought back junior high. Ah, junior high. The land of bullies and miserably failed attempts at looking cool. And greasy school food. She could never forget that. Or the bright white-haired boy who had gravity-defying hair. She felt a small smile ease its way onto her lips. Of course. Silas was one of _his_ best friends. One of Kamui's.

Kamui Hoshido. Wow. That wasn't a name she'd heard in a long time. She sighed, brushing out a stubborn tangle in her azure hair. The boy who punched the biggest philanderer in school, Lazward, when he tried to hit on her. The boy who would push her so high on the tire swing that she felt that she could touch the sky. The boy who didn't go to the boys-only party because he'd promised Azura they would hang out together that day. The boy that promised her they'd be best friends forever.

The boy that she left alone in the rain, the day she found out boys and girls couldn't be friends.

The boy who moved away, and didn't keep in touch.

And it was all her fault.

~*~*~*~

It was raining as she stepped out of the café, a violet beanie resting snug around her head, a cream-colored scarf wrapped around her neck. Little puffs of air circled around her lips as she began trotting briskly to her car (an old Chrysler hand-me-down from Xander) parked on the side of the road. It was, quite frankly, the ugliest car she had ever laid eyes on.

The design was in no way spectacular, but it seemed to be only a fraction of the problem. Painted a baby-blue, the rusting car seemed to sag only half a foot off the ground. Plus, Azura's license plate read: _Swords-r-cool_ , Something Leo had often snorted at. " _You_ _like_ _swords_? _I_ _didn't_ _know_ _that_ _you_ _were_ _such_ _a_ _geek_ ," he had laughed, head held back. " _I_ _know. This car was made for you, not me."_ she had retorted sharply.

Starting the car, she drove smoothly out of her boxed-in parking space and down the dark, slick road. She frowned, glancing downward a second at her beeping phone. Camilla had texted her.

**Oh it's a heart! <3 cool. Oh, our new neighbor moved in, and I met him. Tell you the details later! ** _(5:47 P.M.)_

Azura bit her lip, shaking her head slightly. The house next door was bizarre—in design and landscape.

It used to be a picturesque, rolling hill that Camilla, Elise and Azura would plant daisies, zinnias and mums. Azura remembered the floral aroma and iridescent-winged butterflies, the twittering hummingbirds and finches. The day she woke to a tractor tearing down the garden, it tore down her heart as well. It tore out memories and smiles. Laughter and love. Camilla complained that she and Elise were over-exaggerating, but she knew Camilla was pretty torn up about it too. Or at least she _was._

Even though it wasn't too fair, Azura already despised her neighbor for destroying their haven. Her neighbor who was apparently a man. She prayed with all her might he wasn't attractive, or else...Camilla would instantly be flocking to his door every morning in hopes of winning his affection.

She tilted her head to the side and thought about how the house jutted out at awkward angles and was painted a bright, fire engine red with vertical yellow stripes everywhere. It was the source of most of Azura's headaches these days. And as Leo always said, if the house is eccentric, so are the people living there. _How_ _fun,_ she thought.

A loud honk broke Azura out of her musings, and she finally jolted back to reality. She was driving forty miles an hour! Was she really one of _those_ people? Azura put a little more gas in, and zoomed down the street, flying past stone apartments and dog parks. She huffed as she reached an intersection, coming to a slow halt. She ran her sweaty palms over her skirt, breathing small quips of air. She'd never been much of a confident driver, and would have been fine being chauffeured around all of her life. To her, there was no freedom in driving. Only pure terror. And whenever someone honked at her, she took it more personally than one should have.

The rest of the half-hour ride home was much the same, being pulled into thoughts and then being honked out for slow driving. Then there was the stop at a coffee shop, since Azura felt as though she could fall asleep in her car from exhaustion. A tough day at work, and the prospect of meeting her new, most likely horrid, neighbor were enough to drain her energy.

She found solace when she finally drove into her driveway. (Much less so when she glanced at her next-door neighbor's house)

"Azura, dear~!" Camilla's voice wafted across the lawn. Glancing up, Azura watched Camilla trot over to her with a grin on her face. "It started raining, so I guess I didn't need to water your flowers after all, little sister!" She then stopped, crossing her arms. "I really should pay attention to the weather channel more...but that meteorologist is so ugly..."

"You'd watch it if he were more attractive...?"

"...Maybe," Camilla groaned, pursing her lips at Azura's quivering lips, begging to shoot upwards. "How was work, darling?" Camilla questioned, pulling Azura into an embrace.

"As always, meh," she said, pulling away from the hug, then smoothing small beads of rain of of her feathered skirt. Although it wasn't steadily coming down, the musk of rain still hung in the air.

"Eh? Elli strolled by after school for a pastry and said it was mobbed with people...was she just overwhelmed because of her size...? The darling is so small..."

"No, it was busier than usual. Lots of people. Lots of Flora-dictatorship." Camilla smiled in sympathy.

"Poor you, sweetie. Would you like some coffee? I just got some exotic beans ordered from Guatemala..." She glanced up hopefully at Azura.

"Actually I—" Camilla's lower lip quivered slightly. She wouldn't cry, she _doesn't_ cry, but she would be disappointed nonetheless if she didn't except. Plus, she would be able to spend more time with her older sister if she did say yes... "—am really in the mood for coffee!"

Oh well. She loved coffee anyway.

"Oh, phew. Darling, you worried me a second you would reject. Come now, let's discuss all juicy matters of your life."

"I've none. Have you just met me...? What about you? Don't you get a new boyfriend every...week?" Camilla smirked, twisting the silver knob of her modern, stylish flat.

The two sisters were neighbors, but their houses couldn't be any different. Both, before they moved in, were basically shacks with a bedroom and bathroom. Now, Azura's was barely qualified to be a living space, while Camilla's was very posh, vogue, and sophisticated.

The main color scheme in Camilla's home were deep violets and hints of black, their darkness contrasted by paper-white finishes. The entryway to her house was grand, even for its small size, with a grandiose chandelier hanging with sparkling crystals. Her living space consisted of plush velvet furniture with cozy-yet-stylish wool blankets and a surplus of various print pillows, each bought from Camilla's various expeditions throughout Europe a couple years back. Mahogany bookshelves stood erect, with miscellaneous genres of books. (Though many featured a shirtless man on the cover) The kitchen was personally Azura's favorite part of the house, however, as the amount of white overpowered the dark hues. The white stood as stark cabinets, as well as a cream-painted round table which could seat a fair four people. (Often when everyone would meet at Camilla's house, Xander would be forced to sit cross-legged on the floor)

In conclusion, Camilla's house was the envy of every woman on the street, if Azura was being honest. Did she truly care? No. She practically lived in Camilla's flat—not that she minded.

"Now, darling something has to be going on in your life," Camilla reasoned, pulling out a chair for her. "if Leo can get himself some social interaction, so can you."

"I...I have social interaction..." Azura mumbled, looking down at her feet. It was a good thing too, that she had looked away, since Camilla was silently rolling in laughter at Azura's failed attempt at getting Camilla to believe her. "I'm...biking with Felicia on Tuesday, if that's any consolation..." Camilla let out a heavy groan from where she was opening the coffee beans. They smelled good, their scent wafting towards where Azura sat. She started salivating in anticipation.

"Sweetheart...as much as we love you...Xander's getting a little worried that you are going to..." Camilla's voice faded.

"To....what?"

"T-To..." She breathed sharply, glancing at Azura a mere second before breathing out in a single breath: "DIE-ALONE-AND-HAVE-NOBODY-TO-BURY-YOU-AND-LOVE-YOU-BESIDES-US-AND-YOU-WON'T-GET-MARRIED-OR-HAVE-KIDS-OR-ANYTHING-AT-ALL-I'M-SO-SORRY-DARLING-THAT'S-JUST-WHAT-HE-SAID." She collapsed on the floor, taking haggard breaths, her face a mild red from her lack of oxygen.

Azura raised her eyebrows at Camilla's sudden outburst, but remained rooted to her seat. Honestly, Azura wasn't too surprised.

Xander often asked her if she had finally gotten a boyfriend, but Azura had never really found a boy she liked that way. " _Lots_ _of_ _them_ _are_ _really_ _immature,_ " she had complained to him. " _all_ _they_ _want_ _to_ _talk_ _about_ _is_ _sports_ _and_ _how_ _attractive_ _Luna_ _Tsundere_ _is_. _Why_ _can't_ _they_ _be_ _more_ _thoughtful_ _like_ _girls_ _are?_ " It really had been an innocent question, but his lips had curled nonetheless when she said it.

" _Azura_... _you're_ _too_ _old_ _to_ _not_ _have_ _a_ _boyfriend_. _You're_ _just_ _being_ _too_ _picky_."

Was she? She had never really thought about it much. Perhaps she hadn't realized that boyfriends weren't always necessarily 'the one.' But as a child, that was what she had grown up thinking. Maybe she was just stuck in the past, unable to grip the future's reigns and say: "I'm ready."

But she wasn't.

"Oh, darling Azura, I'm SO SORRY!" Camilla wept, leaping forward to envelope Azura in a strangling hug. "I really oughtn't have! You must be so, so—" her voice stopped abruptly when she realized a sound was coming out of Azura's mouth.

Not crying.

Not yelling.

Laughter?

"A-Azura dear? Why are y-you...?" Azura looked up, her chin resting on Camilla's ample chest uncomfortably. Pushing away from Camilla's embrace, she flashed a cheshire grin up at her older sister.

"You sound like a dying hyena when you cry."

Silence. Brief, but quite noticeable.

"Azura...why must you be so _blunt_?" Her lavender eyes were full of feigned hurt and sadness. There was a sadistic twinkle in her eyes, however, that couldn't go unnoticed. Camilla leaned forward whispering the words: " _I_ _can_ _force_ _you_ _to_ _meet_ _our_ _wonderful_ _neighbors_ _by_ _your_ _lonesome_ _if_ _you_ _wish_."

Azura took a step back, glowering at her older sister. Neighbors? With an 's'? The plural form? Hadn't she said they only had one neighbor? "...What? The builder said—"

"That only one person would be moving there? Yep. He said that." She flicked a speck of dust off of her mug, handing one to Azura and settling down in one of the dark chairs. "But, it apparently fell through, the poor treasures...but quite a large little family bought it from them and moved in there. I met the oldest son, as you know...he's...very attractive..." Camilla's eyes fluttered shut as her voice faded away, and Azura couldn't help but feel incredibly uncomfortable at the way Camilla swooned. How predictable.

"I...I see..." Camilla suddenly jumped from her chair, grabbing Azura's hand, causing her to slop her coffee all over the floor.

"Want to meet them? Together?"

"D-didn't you already meet them?" Azura asked tentatively, eyeing the excitement that Camilla had towards the new family. She glanced downward at the spilt coffee, frowning. That man must be pretty attractive to have caught Camilla's attention...

"Yes, but...oh come on, Azura! I need an excuse to see him. Please. It would be rude if you didn't meet them. Please. I baked them cookies. I baked _him_ cookies. Please." Her lips quivered slightly, something Azura found to be quite useful in getting Camilla what she wanted. But it would not work on her.

"..."

"Pleeeeeease?" Her restraint would not break. Camilla would not get to her.

"..."

"Pleeeeeeease?"

"...ngh..."

"PLEEEEEEEEEASE?!" Camilla fell to her knees, grabbing ahold of Azura's legs and having a minor panic attack.

_This_ _has_ _been_ _an_ _odd_ _day_.

"Mm...okay." Azura smirked slightly at Camilla. "Wait 'till Leo finds out you were begging at my feet for a _boy_."

"Honestly, Azura? 'A boy'? He is a—" *sigh* "— _man_ ~!"

"O-Okay...well...let's just go now...uhm...Cam?" Camilla was frantically rushing towards her oven, throwing it open. Hot steam rushed through the room, and Azura tried to wave it away, nearly choking. The room filled up with black smoke within seconds, causing Azura to break out into a coughing fit. "C-Camilla...? Wha—*cough* ahhhhhh...why is it...so smoky...? What's that *cough* smell?"

"My cookies...I LEFT THEM IN THE OVEN FOR THREE HOURS!"

~*~*~*~

Azura and Camilla stepped up to the front door, painted a bizarre brown-red color, vaguely reminding Azura of the time Elise vomited all over Leo's biology homework. She snuck a sideways glance at Camilla who was cradling a plate of heavily overcooked sugar cookies. Azura eyed them a minute, opening her mouth to say—

"No. Don't say it, Darling. I know, I _know_. But hey, it is the thought that counts. Plus, you know what they say: the closest way to a man's heart is his stomach!"

"Yeah, but what if his stomach has to be pumped by a paramedic?" Azura pondered, glaring at the singed cookies. "Though, if he does have an ounce of intelligence he won't eat them. Trust me." Camilla glared at her, mouthing: _Darling, be careful what you say._

Azura smirked, and wrapped her long fingers around the knocker, gripping it, then knocking once, twice, a third time. She stepped back, instinctively grabbing Camilla's arm. "It'll be fine, you sweet little child," Camilla sang, pinching one of her cheeks kindly. "They are very nice people~"

Azura swallowed. They would soon find out. She hated how poorly she reacted in social situations—even small ones like these.

The door swung open at the speed of light, causing both girls to leap backwards, eyes widening when a flash of tomato-red gleamed before their eyes. "Oi! Mother! People are here!" A woman's voice (perhaps around Camilla's age) called out.

Blinking her eyes furiously, she watched a girl with short-cropped fiery red hair with Crimson eyes beam down at her. She was wearing a tank top, and it showed her rather impressive looking arms, they were very toned and muscular for a woman, something Azura found to be very wonderful. "Hey there!" She called brightly down at her. "You look familiar! I wonder why...? Oh, never mind. Come on in!" Her bright energy brought a little smile creeping onto Azura's face. This buoyant girl's energy was contagious.

_"Just like that?"_ Camilla softly hissed into Azura's ear. "These are very trusting people. _He_ wouldn't let me inside. I kept hinting that it'd be fun to check the inside of his house and he declined..."

Azura wondered how frightening and seductive Camilla seemed to people who didn't really know her true personality.

The bright red-haired girl led them in through the doorway, to a foyer that resembled the exterior of the house greatly, much to Camilla's distaste. The older girl wrinkled her nose, before following the girl in and running her fingers through her hair nervously, perhaps in an attempt to sort it out. (Though all it did was separate Camilla's curls and make them look frizzier)

"Oh, and I'm Hinoka, by the way," she said, glancing backward at the two of them. She pursed her lips at Camilla. "Weren't you here earlier?"

"Yes," Camilla said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I brought my _darling_ new neighbors cookies!" She put them proudly out at arms length for Hinoka to behold. Hinoka eyed them shrewdly and glanced at Azura.

"Camilla calls everyone 'darling', 'sweetheart' and 'treasure', and her cooking skills are..." They both eyed the jet-black cookies in Camilla's arms. "well, they don't need explaining. Oh, and I'm Azura Nohr. Pleasure" she curtsied, causing Hinoka to snort in amusement.

"That's quite the ensemble you've put together," she said, gesturing towards the maid outfit Azura was donning. "you look like a character from one of my little sister Sakura's books!"

Oh.

"E-Eh?! Goodness no...I meant to take this off! It's my...my work attire at Café Frost! Argh, damn! I didn't mean to keep this on!" Hinoka laughed.

"Oh, no worries. My younger brother Takumi wears ridiculous outfits all the time. And they're way worse than that! Trust me." Azura sighed gratefully, before twisting around. Where had Camilla gone?

"Alrighty, then. Ho, Camilla!" (Camilla had been peering in another room, presumably looking for a certain man, as Azura had discovered) "Come back here! You haven't met Mother yet!"

"O-Oh, well that's...great then. But, erm, where's your o-o-o-older brother?" Her lips twitched with anticipation.

Oh for Pete's sake.

She couldn't be swooning _now_.

Of all times.

"Ryoma? He's off buying dinner...I'll have to ask Mother, but you both can stay if you want! I'm sure Ryoma would love to meet you two."

Azura felt that it was pointless to explain that Camilla had already met, and fallen in love with, Hinoka's brother.

She had already explained it too many times before.

"You've definitely an interesting house here..." Azura commented, running her eyes over the bright fuchsia walls of the living area, boxes scattered about. "Very...colorful." Hinoka groaned, glancing at Azura out of the corner of her eye.

"When we bought this, the only thing that wasn't already designed was the kitchen. Mom really wanted to move back here—we used to live here quite a few years back—so she bought the cheapest house on the market."

"Ah...I wonder why it's so cheap..." Camilla sarcastically smirked, tapping the already-peeling, vibrant wallpaper.

"Mother plans on fixing it up before we become settled, but it could take a while...oh! Here's the kitchen! This is what we hope our whole house will look like when we're finished." She opened a door to something completely different, completely wonderful. If the whole house looked like this, it would be incredible. Maybe their house would be the new envy of the street, beating out even _Camilla's_.

Entering the kitchen was a new world; it was beautiful. No, not bizarre or horrific, but beautiful. Glossy cabinets and shimmering marble. Vintage stools surrounding the island. Glistening white backsplash with blue-grey painted walls. Fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, and peaches miscellaneously were scattered around in a bowl, bringing a surplus of vibrant color. The rustic patterns lined the edges of a mirror off in the edge of the room, mingling with other rustic accents. Large windows brought in so much light, Azura felt as though she were swimming in the clouds, touching the luminous sky.

And the _smell_.

A smaller woman with a long, jet-black ponytail tiredly ran the back of her hand along her sweating forehead. It was steamy, with little puffs of smoke swirling around a tea-kettle. Azura breathed in the luscious and enticing scents of freshly baked bread, cinnamon, and mint. The smells brought back a stir of memories from her childhood and she beamed. Her childhood being brought back like this...it was almost a dream come true. Hinoka laughed at her awestruck face, slugging her playfully in the shoulder.

"It's not much, yet, but this is home." Hinoka said. Azura laughed.

"You've only been here a couple hours, though, correct?"

"Yes, but whenever Mom bakes bread, we feel like we're home. This is home now!" Hinoka spread out her arms wide, a crooked grin on her face. She thought, that perhaps Hinoka was the fastest person she had ever come to enjoy the presence of. She had lots of charisma, that was for sure.

"Mom! C'mon stop putting things in cabinets and meet Azura and Camilla!"

"Azura...? Where have I...Azura Nohr?" The woman with the long ponytail turned around, her brows furrowed in confusion. "No, it cannot be..." Azura's eyes were wide, as everything suddenly came into place when she saw Hinoka's mother's face.

Hinoka said she had seemed familiar.

The scent of baking bread was eerily familiar.

And standing right in front of her, was the mother of someone very dear to her. Someone caught by the wind, slipping out of her grasp, and floating away like the paper cranes she used to make with... _him_.

Someone with gravity-defying, shock-white hair. Crimson eyes. A bright smile.

"Dear me," the woman—his mother—whined softly, fanning herself. "what are the chances? Azura Nohr, our next-door neighbor. Wow. I...it's nice to...to see you again..."

Camilla quirked a lavender eyebrow. "What did Azura darling do? Why do you...why do you know her?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut short by the clearing of a throat, causing all time to be stopped as someone stopped in the kitchen doorway, Azura's back turned to him. Azura breathed steady breaths, but the wind seemed to have knocked her over.

Azura searched her mind for his face, she hadn't seen it in so long...she never had even said goodbye when he moved away. She tried to remember that day, but alas, it remained a haze she could not yet penetrate.

The next words that she spoke resulted in the same ominous silence as before.

"...Kamui..."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so as you can see...I've written a Modern AU. About Kamui and Azura. (Not using his English name, because it isn't too great, imao) I was kind of shocked that the whole 'canon couple' thing lacked so much attention in the fanfiction universe. (Even though the game hasn't come out yet in NA and Europe)
> 
> So, I decided I'd write a Modern AU on them, because I love them. So, so much.
> 
> The problem I have, is that Azura has an aloof and underwhelming personality that is exceptionally bland for a main character. I don't want to write about a bland character. I've done a little scoping in her supports, and have found that she has a rather sarcastic personality, and a dry sense of humor. I don't want to pull a 180 on her character, so I tried keeping that in mind when I was writing this.
> 
> With Kamui, even though we haven't seen much at ALL of his character will be a more relaxed and fun character, and will bring Azura out of her shell, so after he's introduced (next chapter) we'll kind of start seeing Azura come out more.
> 
> Also...for anyone thinking I'm bashing Flora a bit—I'm not. I actually love her. I've just observed that she is a bit stiff around others, so I wanted to incorporate that a bit. (Don't worry, there WILL be FloraxJokob muahahah)
> 
> Okay, then. I think that about ends it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me~


End file.
